Greater New England Soccer Power Rankings
With the Vermont Green trying to win their state's second national title in as many years, how does the rest of the region stack up?
The state of Vermont is on a heater. No, not the literal heat wave, I mean like blistering form and taking Fort Ticonderoga with firing a shot levels of dominance.
First, the UVM Catamounts Men’s Soccer Team won an NCAA title last fall, a ridiculous run out of America East, which is a sneaky good mid-major soccer conference. And on Saturday night, Vermont Green FC tries to claim a USL2 National Championship over Ballard FC out of Seattle. The game is at Virtue Field (UVM) at 7 pm on WCAX Channel 3 Burlington/Plattsburgh and streaming on SportsEnginePlay.
Which got me thinking…which Vermont team would be number one and how far back on the other teams/states in the region?
Disclaimer: If your favorite local/lower division team isn’t here, I’m sorry, we can’t include everyone. Apologies to everyone who missed the playoffs in the USL2 Northeast Division. Honorable mention to Seacoast United being runner-up in the Steinbrecher Cup to El Farolito.
UVM CATAMOUNTS MSOC
The Cats have their national title already, so they have the top spot and honestly might keep it even if the Green win tomorrow. Winning a national championship as a mid-major in a team sport is tremendously hard in the NCAA now.
Also, true story, while on vacation a few weeks ago, I ended up chatting with two librarians near my vacation spot that had just left a community speaking series they had hosted with head coach Rob Dow, who took two hours out of his evening to talk to a library that serves a little town of less than 2000 people. Why, cause the state of Vermont does community engagement better than you.
VERMONT GREEN FC
I do not know if I can handle another nail-biting championship involving a Vermont team after surviving UVM’s golden goal winner. But the Green can cement their state as basically the undisputed 4th Division champs if they win tomorrow, assuming we can put NCAA Division 1 on the same level in the pyramid. Check out Sam’s quotes from this team winning a division title, and just how awesome this team and community are.
ANTONY SIAHA - HFD ATHLETIC GK
We’re making an exception for Siaha, who has attained full villain status, and quite frankly, we are here for it. He takes El Clamico very seriously and has a personal vendetta against RIFC, especially after PKs. He’s also coming off a six-save shutout against New Mexico in USL play.
WESTERN MASS PIONEERS
Yes, WMP did not have as long of a playoff run as Vermont, but they still had a pretty successful season and a long run of playoff appearances in USL League 2. All they are missing is a big playoff run and/or getting above Vermont to cement their status as a top team in the league.
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE
Okay, the mid-table expansion USL1 side is doing just fine in their first season. They finished middle of the group in the Jager Cup, ahead of USL-Champ side Pittsburgh who they defeated on penalties after a 2-2 draw down to 10 men after a first half red card. I feel okay putting them above the two bottom-dwelling USL-C teams. Keep Portland weird.
BOSTON LEGACY NWSL
They haven’t played a game yet but they are still making some pretty solid moves well ahead of their 2026 expansion year. Midfielder Alba Cano joins the side led by former Benfica women’s coach Filipa Patao, who won five straight Portuguese league titles and one UWCL quarterfinal which had never been done by a Portuguese side. The Legacy have five players on the roster playing out on loan in the interim as they continue to build up to a full roster ahead of next year.
RHODE ISLAND FC
RIFC’s offensive woes continue but they topped their Jager Cup group and made the quarterfinals. That’s about all this team has going for it this year besides being one point ahead of HFD.
HARTFORD ATHLETIC
Hartford is not very good, but they love to annoy Rhode Island and grabbed one of the wild card spots in the Jager Cup, so they’re in the quarterfinals away to San Antonio, while RIFC will host Revs South (Birmingham). Besides Siaha’s king-level trolling, not much else to say about the second-to-last-place team in the USL-C Eastern Conference.
CT UNITED FC of BRIDGEPORT (2026?)
Okay, the planned MLS Next Pro team in Bridgeport, CT, is currently in the same planning stages as the Revs in Everett. The terribly named side wants to be one of the few independent teams operating at the NextPro level, and the planned site would take over an old waterfront greyhound racing track that’s near the MetroNorth Station. If this team plays games at all next year, maybe it’s at the Univ. of Bridgeport stadium near Seaside Park. Hopefully my employer treats the soccer stadium better than my old baseball stadium…
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Yes, the Revs are bad, yes, I think it’s time for Caleb Porter to go, and yes, bringing back Matt Turner is a good idea despite other priorities and financials that probably don’t work. The Revs are a mess and well below the playoff line again and even if they turn it around post Leagues Cup break in a week, there won’t be many positives to take away from this season.
BOS NATION FC
It knows what it did, and it remains at the bottom for all eternity.
If there’s a team I didn’t have on this list, leave a comment down below on why I should’ve put them ahead of the Revs.
My over 35 mens rec team just won a B division trophy. I think we should probably be above the Revs in the rankings.
solid logic -> accurate rankings
Well done